360
by downtopluto
Summary: It was just one of those days: One of those days where I just couldn't win. No matter how hard I tried or how much I want to be different. But... Maybe different isn't necessarily bad? Maybe different is better, at least to someone.  semi-AU m/m


**360  
>Chapter 1<br>SPECIAL  
>T (for now)<br>HABNAB DRUGISM  
>TeddyxBilly<strong>

**AN:** Uhm. Yeah, so hi! :D This is my first multi-chaptered fic that I'm actually going to finish. It's not a Young Justice one, I know, but this idea shot me in the face with a four barreled shotgun. So, here it is. It starts off kind of... slow, I supposed but believe me, it's going to get much more crazy in the next chapter. ;D I hope you enjoy reading this. Oh, and it is slightly AU, but for the most part follows Billy's origin story. You'll see.

-xxx-

It was just one of those days: One of those days where I just couldn't win. The first hit connected with my jaw, pain radiating through my body. I clenched my teeth harshly as more hits pummeled my torso, head and shoulders. Although I did feel the pain, I wasn't really connected with anything that was happening. It must be the fact that this kind of shit happens every day. Every day I look at myself in the mirror and nurse a black eye or a cut from the rings they wore. Every day I sat on my bed and cried myself to sleep because there was no one there to make me feel like I was—that I am someone special. The only thing that marked me as special was the purple, green and yellow marks across my body. Yeah. _Special_.

I didn't cry out. It would only encourage them to do more. The only thing I could do was curl up, cradling my head, hoping that maybe this could be the day that someone would save me. As usual, nothing, no one except for the hulking dumbasses around him whose fists were larger than their brains.

They eventually let up. They always did. I lay there, on the cold linoleum of the locker rooms for a while. It hurt too much to move. I know that I probably missed the bus home, but I couldn't muster up enough of an urge to give a fuck. With a wet sounding sigh I pushed myself up and wiped my nose, glancing down at the blood that now coated my arm. Ugh. Bastards probably broke my fucking nose. I sat, eyes closed as I tried to force myself into standing. With one hand braced on the locker beside me and the wall behind, I pushed myself up onto aching feet. I sucked in a breath through my nose and tasted copper at the back of my throat.

Lovely.

That was when the door of the gym swung open. Immediately, I pushed myself into the corner of the locker and the wall. Had they come back? They never have come back before. Maybe they really were going to—No, no. I couldn't think this.

_Come on, Kaplan. Get your head together. It's not them. It _can't_ be them. Come on, sweetie._ The voice inside my head slowly started turning into a very familiar voice. The Scarlet Witches voice curled around my mind and my speeding heart slowly started to settle. I made a little sound as I tried to stand again and my body tensed once again when the footsteps of the person who had entered the locker paused. Shit. They heard me.

"Hello?"

Oh thank fucking god, it wasn't the douches. I allowed myself to cough and grimaced when I tasted blood in my mouth once again. The footsteps grew louder as the guy walked closer to where I was. I couldn't say anything. I couldn't get a deep enough breath to say anything. God, how pathetic was I?

"Oh my god—" The voice was alarmed. Hey, that was a new one. Most people just laughed and walked on if they saw me like this. I felt strong arms encircle my shoulders and I coughed again. Ugh, that hurt. "Hey, you okay?" I opened my eyes as much as they could and looked up at 'my hero'. I blinked for a moment, trying to get him in focus. All I could see was blonde.

"Do… Do I look—"another cough, this time the blood covering the white shirt in front of my mouth, "—okay? Sorry 'bout that." For some reason, my hand raised and rubbed at the blood, as if to clean it off. Hey, a guy who just got beat up by three hulking douches with double black eyes doesn't need to think straight.

Not that I ever think straight. A choked giggle escaped me at that thought and I leaned into the broad chest in front of me, not really caring if this nameless, faceless guy didn't want me to. One of those large hands cradled the back of my head and I hummed at the feeling. Felt good… Really the only thing that felt good on my body right now.

"Look, I'm going to get you to a hospital or something… You need it. What's your name?" He had a pleasant voice. I could listen to it all day. _Oh come on, I can't already be falling for a _voice_ of a guy that might not even want to do this_. I rolled my eyes at myself and tried to clear my throat enough to speak without completely grossing out said guy.

"B-Billy Kaplan… Th'nks…" My words were slightly slurred, seeing as how my tongue was swollen to twice its fucking size. Or maybe that feeling was just because it hurt too much to talk. The body is a funky thing.

"Billy? Oh, you're in my English Lit class. No wonder you look familiar." It seemed as if talking was this guy's way of either making me feel better or making himself feel better. Whatever. I'll let him talk. It's not like I have any urge to keep that soothing voice from sliding across my eardrums like spring water. "I'm Teddy Altman. I'm sure you haven't heard of me before, I'm not all that intere—"

"Y-Y're on the f-f-f-football te'm." I mumble as Teddy guided me through the locker room and out the swinging doors. "B-big, bl'nde… Heh… I th'o y' were like th'm…" My tongue just wouldn't move. A small feeling of frustration ran through my body.

"Like _them_? Are you saying the guys did this to you? Ah, don't try to talk please. Just don't pass out on me. Uhm. Why did they do this to you?" I heard an amount of anger in his voice, but didn't feel like interpreting it. Why was the school so damn _big_. I just want to sleep…

"No! Don't pass out, c'mon Billy." My name made my eyes open a little again. Yeah, maybe it isn't the best idea to pass out right now. It wouldn't be very…

"Billy! Bi—y! B—"

-xxx-

You know that cliché moment when a character wakes up from sleeping and there's a blinding light in their face? Not so much for me. It seemed to be sunset in the room I was in, orange light spilling through windows behind me and making the white walls seem painted in the color. I blinked my eyes open as far as they could go (which wasn't very much) and made a little noise. What the hell? Where was I?

With turning my head as little as possible, I saw wires and a machine next to me. A hospital. Great.

"Billy, you're awake!" I closed my eyes again as I heard my mother's voice. Yeah, I didn't notice I was awake. Notice the sarcasm. "Oh, honey…" My mom sounded pretty worried. Were my injuries _that_ bad? I opened my eyes again, actually trying to keep them open this time. "How are you feeling?"

On one level I'm glad that's the first thing that's out of her mouth instead of 'why didn't you tell us?' or something. On another, it's kind of a pointless question, but a question a mom would ask in any situation. I'm glad that I have her as my mom, honestly.

Actually, now that I think of it, I do feel kind of better. Just how long was I out?

"I'm—"I coughed only because of the raspiness of my throat. I lifted my hand and blinked when I found a bottle of water put into it. Mom sounded like she was across the room… I lifted my head slightly and my eyes snapped open when I saw the hulking figure of Teddy Altman standing beside my bed. "I-I… Uhm…" When had _he_ shown up!

"Hey." That voice… "I… uh… I found you in the locker rooms and I brought you here. Sorry for startling you, I guess." Oh, right. Now I remember. Weird.

"Heh, it's o-okay." My voice was still shaking as I took a sip of the water and swirled it around in my mouth. It feels like I just got sick and fifteen cottonballs were shoved in my mouth. Ugh. Not the best feeling in the world, but better than radiating pain, that's for sure. "I'm feeling better, though. H-How long have I been asleep?"

"About a week." My mom had gotten up and joined Teddy by my bedside. A week? Jeez, that explained a lot.

"How do I look?" I asked her, the corner of my mouth tilting up at our little joke. It always happened like this… Well, without the hospital. I would come home bruised and she would patch me up.

"Stunning, sweetie." She leaned down and kissed my forehead, smiling. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, wincing at the stiffness in my muscles but ignoring it just to feel close to my mom. She always made me feel better.

"I think I'm just going to go. I'll see you later, Billy. Mrs. Kaplan." Teddy's voice made me jump a little in surprise. I had forgotten he was here… My mom turned around, shaking her head. He looked almost embarrassed

"Alright, honey. Thank you, so much. Tell your mother I said hi." When did my mom meet _Teddy's_? I was so confused. I tried to sit up, but my mom put a hand on my shoulder, keeping me down. Teddy nodded nervously, blonde hair falling in front of his eyes. He probably knew how many questions I wanted to ask but didn't want to answer them. I'll ask him later. When my body wasn't trying to reject all its nerve endings.

"Yeah. See you later, Billy." Then, he was gone. For such a big guy, he seemed to not want a lot of attention on him. I had noticed it before. Come to think of it, I was really the only one who noticed him. All the time I saw him just off the side of the football team, not really into the crowd but not an outlier either. I wonder—

My train of thought was shoved quite violently off its track when my mother leaned back down and hugged me tightly. The nurse filed in from the hallway and began checking things on the machine that I couldn't quite remember the name of. I laughed softly and hugged my mom.

"I'm really okay, Mom." I pet her hair, running my hand through the soft brown wave and to her back. I patted her back as she pressed closer.

"I know, but you worried me so much, Billy. I know what happened. Teddy told me what he knew and I assumed the rest of it. God, I'm so sorry for being so dense, sweetie. I'm so sorry." Her voice was cracking and I panicked. I don't want my mother to cry because of something that wasn't her fault! I hugged her tightly as the nurse waited patiently by our bed. I shook my head and squeezed my arms around her shoulders.

"Mom, it's really okay. None of this was your fault, I swear. It's all me and those assholes. Please don't blame yourself. You're the best mom anyone can ask for, I swear." I pushed her back a little and smiled my brightest smile for her. I probably still looked like shit, but she smiled back through wet eyes and a red nose. She laughed softly and nodded a little as she pulled back and allowed the nurse to do her job. She probably still blamed herself, but that was all I could think of to say. She'd get it soon enough, I hope.

"Uhm… Mom? Just how much do you—"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but your body has healed remarkably well. You may be discharged if you wish. Just make sure to not participate in any strenuous activities. Your ribs were bruised and are still healing, along with a broken nose and stitches for the cut on your side." The nurse's voice made me look up from my mom. I had a cut in my side? Did they stab me? I stretched a little and grimaced at the pain that radiated from my right side.

"Did I get stabbed?" I asked, my voice sounding more alarmed than I meant it to. The nurse smiled the generic smile that a nurse is supposed to have (although a hint of confusion was behind it) and shook her head.

"Apparently, as you were being transported here, you fell and cut your side on the corner of a railing. It wasn't that deep, but it still needed stitches." Oh thank god. Being stabbed would _suck_ major ass. I nod and looked up at my mom.

"I'll go do the paperwork. You get ready to go, alright?" She kissed me on the forehead and left swiftly. I could tell she wanted to get me out of there as much as I wanted to. The nurse pulled out my IV and disabled the machines as I slowly sat up.

"So, what were the rest of them?" I asked as I was helped into the complimentary wheelchair. I shifted, feeling an ache in my back and ass. Oh, that felt weird.

"Rest of what? The injuries?" I nodded, moving myself so I felt a little better in the not-so-cushy chair. She waited until I was done moving around and started wheeling me out to join my mother down in the front waiting room. "Hmm. Well, I wasn't taking care of you when they brought you in, but on your clipboard, it said that you had a minor concussion, two black eyes, bruised ribs, broken nose, various bruises over your body and that cut on your side."

"So, why aren't you guys asking me what happened? Isn't that what usually happens after something like this?" At least, that's how all the movies portrayed it.

"Because that boy that was in there before, Teddy Altman, told us what happened. A go-cart accident is rough." Teddy lied. Why had he _lied_? Had he lied to my mom too? I tightened my hands on the arms of my chair and didn't say anything else as she wheeled me out to my mom. She was smiling at the woman behind the desk as she filled out the papers to get me discharged. There was really only one question that kept spinning around in my head as I sat there.

_Why had Teddy lied_?

-xxx-

I never found out if Teddy had told my mom the truth. Whenever I brought up the hospital visit, she'd change the topic and tell me to do something chore-related or to go rest. I didn't push it. There had to be a reason that she didn't want to talk about it. Maybe she _did_ know the truth, or as much of the truth that Teddy had gotten from the whole situation. I didn't know and to be quite honest, I didn't care anymore.

It was amazing how apathetic I became about the whole thing, even during the moments they were kicking the shit out of me. This had happened so much that I just _didn't care_ anymore. This would probably continue happening until the end of my graduation a year and a half from now. No one would listen if I complained. Those guys' parents were funding the sports teams and the principal wouldn't do anything about it. The students didn't care if the little gay boy was beat up.

So, I went back to school the Monday after I got out of the hospital.

As I tugged on a red hoodie, there was a sound from outside my window. I blinked, turning and tilting my head when I saw a tiny pebble fly up and hit my window. This almost looked like it was a bad secret date moment. I walked to the window and looked out, spotting a familiar large figure down at the sidewalk. My stomach clenched as blue eyes met with my own brown ones. Well, that wasn't creepy at all.

I shoved the window open and leaned out. "Uh, hey? Why the pebbles on my window?" I called out, frowning at him. Teddy opened his mouth and then shut it, looking nervous. What did he have to be nervous about? He was the one that wanted my attention. Fuck, I should be nervous around _him_.

"Wanna walk to school together?"

… Wait. Is that why he was here? Where did he live anyway?

I nodded shortly, the frown turning into a little smile. "Yeah, sure. I'll be down in a sec." I pulled out from my window and shut it, grabbing my backpack and hopping down the stairs. I kissed my mom good-bye and grabbed a Poptart before walking out the front door. I mentally tied my stomach down and hesitated for only one moment before turning away from closing my door and walking to Teddy.

"Hey! I didn't know you lived so close." I smiled and he nodded, pointing out a quaint little house across the street.

"Yeah, right there." Teddy returned my smile and I felt my stomach rip free from its bindings and twist around on itself. I opened my mouth, looking kind of like an idiot for a moment before a grin appeared in place of my awkward facial expression.

"Small world, huh?" I elbowed him lightly and he nodded, still keeping pretty quiet. We walked only a few moments before he decided to say something.

"So… do you read Young Justice?" My eyes lit up, the grin growing. I never read him as a comic nerd.

"Yeah! Geez, the 90s suit for Superboy is just crazy, right?"

"I know. I can't get over his hair. I would think that it would flop all over the place and distract everyone in the vicinity. Arrowette has to feel smothered by that _mane_." Our laughter echoed slightly down the street and our conversation continued, talking, ranting and making fun of various things. I realized something, though.

Maybe there was someone who thought I was special, at least in a little way.

-xxx-

**AN:** Yes, this is TBC even though it sounds like an ending. xD I'm not sure how many chapters are going to be in this thing, but it _is _continuing. I hope you enjoyed it. RRR.


End file.
